In a previous article, I discussed that “Exercise Isn’t Everything.” The main point was this: even if you exercise, spending your day sitting is bad for your health and puts you at higher risk for preventable diseases (obesity, diabetes) and early death. So, I recommended moving more and sitting less throughout your work day. Because science refines itself, new research tells us that the ill-effects of too much sitting are held off when you engage in the right type and duration of exercise.

Purpose and New Findings

The research that I cited in my previous article lumped various exercise groups together. This is problematic because you cannot tell how increasing exercise time from 45 to 60 minutes affects your health.

*Please note, benefits in this context relate to associated long-term health outcomes…of course, there are many benefits to exercising for 45 minutes*

Researchers solved this problem by going through previous studies with a finer tooth comb. In the medical flagship journal, The Lancet, they asked this question: How does sitting time affect people that exercise the most?

Specifically, what are the health outcomes when people engage in high levels of physical activity and various amounts of sitting?

Individuals that exercised at a higher intensity and more often each day (an average of 60-75 minutes moderate-vigorous physical activity [MVPA] per day; examples include an hour run or a heavy weightlifting session) experience no higher risk of preventable disease and early death. Simply put,

if you exercise an hour a day, then your long term health outcomes are unaffected if you lounge around all day.

For the group that exercised 50-65 minutes per day, more risk occurs when you sit more than 8 hours per day. Much of the risk of sitting comes when you exercise less than 30 minutes per day and sit the majority of your waking hours.

The study found similar results when TV viewing time was used instead of sitting time. That is, if you tell researchers the amount of time you watched TV instead of the amount of time you sit all day, then poor health outcomes are related to how much TV you watch. More TV = more health problems.

The authors concluded:

“High levels of moderate intensity physical activity (ie, about 60–75 min per day) seem to eliminate the increased risk of death associated with high sitting time” (Ekelund, 2016).

What This Research means for YOU:

How you spend your day DOES matter. The amount of exercise and physical activity plays a large part in your health later in life. If you currently exercise 60 minutes a day and have a fairly active job (with limited sitting time), then you are on the right track! Keep it up!

However, if you an office worker without a regular exercise routine, then these research findings are almost a near-directive for you. Do not be discouraged. Start small. You can improve your long-term health by either:

1. Sitting Less, or
2. Exercising More (must be MVPA)

Adopting both strategies is EVEN BETTER!

Other Undiscussed Points

Engaging in MVPA is important. Yet, the study did not analyze which forms of MVPA (e.g., running, swimming, weightlifting) are most beneficial when it comes to sitting time. Does weightlifting or swimming provide better long-term health outcomes if you sit all day? Without digging too deep into that part of the research, we have yet another recommendation:

JUST DO SOMETHING FOR 50 MINUTES EACH DAY!

(it doesn’t matter what it is!)

The article touched on other metabolic benefits of moving regularly, yet did not mention orthopedic issues that accompany too much sitting. This may speak to you if you are thinking “Aaaah, finally, research that says I can get that bed desk I have always wanted!!!” Let’s not forget about the effects of poor posture and not moving regularly:

• Bad Neck Angles Lead to “Tech Neck”
• Low Back Pain Stems from Bad Sitting Posture
• Poor Typing Postures Lead to Carpal Tunnel

A Quick Call-to-Action 

PHYSICAL INACTIVITY COSTS $$$. The research discussed above was accompanied with an article that discussed the cost of physical inactivity. Take a guess! It’s pricey! Physical inactivity cost the world $67.5 Billion in 2013! (Ding, 2016). If you are in health care, or a behavior analyst reading this article, we have work to do!

Here a few behavioral strategies that may kickstart healthy change in your community:

• For exercise: TV Time allowed only after exercise – regardless of the amount of TV consumed by family members, allow access to TV (or any smart device) after a minimum of 50 minutes of MVPA have been completed that day
• For worksite health: Reduce sitting time by creating more sit-to-stand transitions, or taking frequent walks. Go here for 8 Ways to Be Active At Work!

Because BehaviorFit is science-based, staying up-to-date with the latest research related health and physical activity is essential. We now know that if you exercise an hour each day (must be MVPA remember), your health outcomes are much improved regardless of sitting time. A correction article was warranted so that the most accurate guidance can be shared with all!

Keep moving my friends,

Nick

---

References

Ekelund, U., Steene-Johannessen, J., Brown, W. J., Fagerland, M. W., Owen, N., Powell, K. E., … & Lancet Sedentary Behaviour Working Group. (2016). Does physical activity attenuate, or even eliminate, the detrimental association of sitting time with mortality? A harmonised meta-analysis of data from more than 1 million men and women. The Lancet.

Ding, D., Lawson, K. D., Kolbe-Alexander, T. L., Finkelstein, E. A., Katzmarzyk, P. T., van Mechelen, W., … & Lancet Physical Activity Series 2 Executive Committee. (2016). The economic burden of physical inactivity: a global analysis of major non-communicable diseases. The Lancet.